Telluride is know for everything from world class skiing, to Phish and Willie Nelson, to one of the most recognized and honored Film Festivals in the world.  We found the views, especially from the complimentary gondola ride, to be breathtaking, and we've shared some of our favorites below.  It's also home to quite a few famous people, but we'll refrain naming them to protect their privacy.  (One of them is a former vice-president whom we had the honor of meeting many years ago.)

It's a stroke of marketing genius to connect two gondolas at the top and run them free for visitors.  That must bring a lot of people to the town, as many have never seen the view from a gondola, and those of us who have, have paid $40 or more per day to do it.  The bill for the 2 million annual visitors is paid by an HOA which collects a 3% fee on real estate transactions.  It costs the HOA about $2 per rider.

The amazing thing about the gondola is that most people who have ridden on gondolas are snow skiers;  people who don't ski typically don't have the opportunity.  Some resorts now run their lifts in the summer, charging a significant fee.  This gondola is open to everyone, and it's free except to skiers in the wintertime.  So, those who would never consider skiing, or who may be like me and can no longer ski, can ride this gondola, experience the amazing views it provides, and it's absolutely free.  Well, at least until you shop while you're there!

Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser was recently re-elected with a landslide 60% of the vote in a 3-way race.  Mayor Fraser is President of the Colorado Association of Ski Towns and also sit as an Executive Board member of the Colorado Municipal League.

Their population of 2,400 can grow to over 10,000 on any given weekend, providing a logistical nightmare for those in charge of the city.  While this is a problem many resort towns have, they have addressed it to make it easier for visitors.

 

Telluride has a parking system, much like Galveston, where one parks and then has to find a parking ticket dispenser to get a ticket and then put the ticket on the car.  This is a hassle for most people, but I'm told that Telluride doesn't charge for parking for handicapped-marked vehicles, so they don't make physically challenged persons go through the ordeal of getting to the ticket dispenser.

 

While we were there, we saw 2 cars with the dreaded parking boot on them.  This made us cautious (thinking it was a parking scam, similar to what happened a while back in the Denver area), so we cancelled our planned follow-up trip there the next day.  That was a mistake.  In contact with the mayor of Telluride, the Honorable Stuart Fraser, we discovered the boots are only used after someone has 3 parking violations, and it's cheaper than towing the car.  In 2010, they only booted 37 cars, so it was unusual to see 2 in one day.

 

This picture is compliments of the Honorable Stu Fraser, mayor of Telluride.  It was taken from his home.

Mayor Fraser says the parking meters were installed to limit parking abuse so there would be parking for their guests.  To assist with transportation, Telluride purchased land near the Lift 7 area and turned it into a free 250  car parking lot that is serviced by their their transit service.  It runs through town on a once every 10 minute cycle, supported by multiple vans and buses.

 

Mountain Village has a heated underground garage where the first 3 hours are free, additional hours are $2 ea., providing access to Mountain Village's stores, as well as the free gondola, which may be used to visit Telluride and then return.

 

While most resort areas cater to the rich, and Telluride is no exception, they also work to provide an inclusive community, regardless of economic status, having recently won an affordable housing award from the state for creating a community, not a project, for people and families to live in.  Their goal was to create homes for people to be able to establish roots and to be vital members of their town.

 

Stormin' Norman, 1988

Their 4th of July parade, which draws over 10,000 people each Independence Day, is supported by General Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr.